Sound Of Silence
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: The final battle approaches and Emma and Killian are thinking and sometimes talking about Milah and Baelfire and how much loss fighting destiny always brings Storybrooke.


_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing._

 _ **Author Note:** Set before the season six finale._

* * *

 **SOUND OF SILENCE**

There was the final battle to prepare for but Emma and Killian still found themselves thinking a lot about their wedding. Killian had always imagined his ship being involved, its very timbers and the sea itself so much a part of who he was. Admittedly, for many years there'd been a very different bride in his imaginings too. Emma had never dreamt about marriage, it'd been as impossible as magic to her for decades. Now though, she was wearing a ring and had a too-excited mom and the very real possibility that the whole town would be invited.

Killian wasn't surprised when she brought that up as they sat in their lounge one morning, actually having a moment to themselves before Henry was due to join them for lunch. He always knocked first, despite having a key.

"You are a princess, love," Killian pointed out. "And I'm told there are expectations."

He said so wryly, having witnessed enough arguments between Snow and Charming to gain a flavor of what might be involved in a royal wedding and the apparent baggage that came with it. Emma wore an expression that matched his tone but it didn't seem like she was resisting the idea either. Interesting.

"It's not just that. It's Storybrooke. It's sort of inevitable; everyone coming. I don't think even another curse would stop them."

"And you're probably related to all of them anyway," Killian let out a huff when Emma smacked his chest. "You've got to admit, love, that's inevitable too. Every week we find some branch of a family tree intertwines with someone else's round here."

Emma didn't disagree and interlinked her hand with Killian's, something in her settling at the now-familiar feel of his many rings combined with the scars on his hands. It hadn't been like that before for Emma, enjoying the familiar, but now here they were – together and familiar. And happy.

"Besides, after everything we've all faced, it's not surprising they want to celebrate when given the chance," Killian added.

True. It could explain Snow's almost manic focus on Emma having a perfect princess wedding but Emma was pretty sure there was more going on there too – like what had happened at her parents' royal wedding and how Snow was now getting to be present for her daughter's wedding milestone when she'd missed out on pretty much everything else. Emma shifted, her mouth a pained line. The more time she and Henry had together, the more she hated the idea of missing out. Her parents' sacrifice was too big sometimes.

Killian didn't ask what was wrong as Emma rested her head on his shoulder, deep in thought. He squeezed her hand and pressed a kiss to her forehead. They were both aiming for no secrets but words could still take a long time. He wasn't going anywhere, not again.

Emma's fingers left Killian's hand to travel up his arm. It sounded weird, but after everything that'd happened and that was probably going to keep on happening because this was Storybrooke, it was good to actually feel that he was there. She did it a lot, he did the same to her too. Now, Emma's fingers found the tattoo she'd once used as a weapon against Killian, back when they'd first met. She traced the pattern thoughtfully. Neal's mom, Killian's love. Everyone who came to Storybrooke really was connected.

Killian was frowning now; thinking about the recent chance stolen from him to see Milah again. Would it have been a better goodbye somehow, with both Gold and Emma there? It would have been…strange to say the least. Once, he'd never been happier than with Milah, then he couldn't imagine life without the need to punish her murderer. She had defined him for so long – something he and Baelfire had shared. She hadn't ever found the completion she'd been searching for at Killian's side. Yet Killian was linked forever to her husband and her son, knowing Baelfire in a way Milah had ultimately been denied. Killian had long believed the world was cruel and punishing but it seemed especially so when he thought of his lost love.

He and Emma were both staring at his tattoo now and Emma shifted so that she could look her fiancé in the eye, forcing herself to break the now-strained silence and voice the words that'd been hovering at her lips for a while. They'd both learned the very hard painful way that keeping silent led to way worse. So she had to suck it up, right now.

"You know, even after everything that's happened here, I never imagined meeting her. Gold made sure it was as…awkward as possible," Emma broke the silence with a grimace. "I told her about Neal moving on. If it'd been me and Henry…"

Emma could clearly recall Milah's bleak expression and how emotional she'd been to hear Emma's words. Emma had heard Killian's stories – about Milah wanting to return for Neal and be a family with her son and Killian – but meeting Milah, seeing her face in that moment, Emma had felt something, it could have been understanding. And Milah wasn't just a story anymore, like Snow's mom or Charming's twin brother. She'd meant a lot to two of the most important people in Emma's life.

"I'm glad you met her, even if for a moment," Killian said quietly, running a thumb over Emma's ring finger. "She made me the man I am today, for better and worse."

He could recognize that now – the worse part. His relationship with Milah had been fulfilling in a way he'd not known before and it had changed both their lives for the better but it had also selfishly torn a mother from her son, something Baelfire had understandably blamed Killian for. It'd left a lot of wreckage in its wake.

The silence that settled again around Killian and Emma wasn't strained now; it was rich with thought. Emma and Henry visited Neal's grave regularly, weird as it was when Emma had seen him after his death. Killian visited the grave too. But they were remembering two different people. Killian had gotten to know Neal but he had loved Baelfire, in Milah's memory. Emma had only ever known and loved Neal. Sometimes she couldn't let go of the feeling that she was going to see him again. He'd gone to a lot of trouble to find her when she'd gone to the Underworld to rescue Killian.

Emma's hand returned to Killian's as she leaned in kiss him, to push away those thoughts and more.

"For better and worse," she echoed with a rueful smile. "The Storybrooke motto."

Killian kissed her in return. "Or something from your boy's storybook, about authors and destiny."

Emma grimaced - there was too much destiny in Henry's storybook, chaining people like they didn't have a choice, or it didn't make sense at all. Sure, her parents always found each other but Robin and Regina's true love happiness hadn't lasted and Emma's destiny was to die, as every Savior had before her. A lot of the time, destiny had to be beaten.

"He's holding the quill now," Killian reminded her gently.

"Yeah, with only one chapter to go," Emma sighed.

Yes. And destiny and fighting it always involved a lot of sacrifice and loss, with or without victory. Killian moved closer, the two of them intertwined and silent once more, neither voicing the shared thought that few in Storybrooke, especially Snow, wanted discussing – that while the town might well win again, both of them or any number of their friends were unlikely to make it to the wedding. Emma could feel her ring clicking against every one of Killian's.

 _-the end_


End file.
